Tape winding bar loader and unloader



June 24, 1958 F. csuToR 'TAPE wINDING BAR LOADER AND AUNLQADER Filed May 1o. 195e wml( C'suinr' IN V ENT-0 R.

June 24, 1958 F. csuTcR 2,840,320

TAPE vWINDING BAR ALOADER AND UNLOADER Filed May 10. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Frank Csutor INVENToR.

United States Patent() TAPE WINDING BAR LOADER AND UNLOADER Frank csutor, Bristol, Pa.

Application May 10, 1956, Serial No. 583,988

9 Claims. (Cl. 242-68) This invention relates to equipment for winding tape on cores and more particularly to the loading of the cores and spacer sleeves on the winding bars in properly assembled relation and the unloading of the rolls of wound tape and the spacer sleeves from the bars in multiple winding operations in which a wide sheet of material is slit into a larger number of strips and the strips simultaneously wound on a corresponding number of cores.

In such operations a pair of hardwood bars or rods is loaded with an alternating series of cores and spacer sleeves, each having an axial length corresponding to the width of the strips. Then the bars are installed respectively above and below Vthe sheet of tape material in a slitting and winding machine with Vthe cores on one bar coinciding with the spacer sleeves of the other bar and with the cores and vspacer sleeves coinciding with the strips as they are formed by cutting instruments in the machine. If an end core on theupper bar, for example, is oppositethe rst strip cut from the sheet it will be wound on that core and the next'strip will be wound on the end core of the lower bar, this alternating arrangement continuing throughout the entire4 series of cores and bars.

Heretofore in the tape winding operations, referred to above it has been the practice to have workers manually load the cores and spacer sleeves onthe bars in alternate relation one at a time, and to unload the rolls of wound tape and spacer sleeves from the bar in a disorderly heap, and then sort out the rollsrand spacer sleeves, the latter for future use. t

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide efficient equipment for rapidly loading and unloading the winding bars, each in a single movement and including means for automatically placing a set of cores and spacer sleeves in aligned relation immediately after each bar is loaded, so that in order to load the next bar it is necessary only to insert the bar through concentric openings in the assembled cores and'sleeves.

Another object of this invention is to provide` a'bar loader and unloader of the character mentioned including across its front end a sloping platform on which af large supply of cores may be ydeposited in irregular relations, across its lower rear end a trough with spaced' seats adapted to receive and maintain in axial lalignment a series of cores and a series of parallel, rectangular chutes communicating with and of a size to permit free rolling passage of cores from the platform to thertrough; and also to provide a second trough across the top, of the intermediate portion of the loader and unloader adapted to receive an alternate series of rolls of tape and spacer sleeves on the bar after completion of a tape Winding operation, so that the bar can then be unloaded by withdrawing it from the rolls and sleeves; andalso including another series of parallel rectangular chutes vdisposed between the first mentioned series'of chutes, also communicating with andof a size vto permit' free ,rolling pas- -^sage of spacer sleeves from the' upper to the lower trough ree Y offset and curved entrance ramps leading from the platform into the rst'mentioned'series of chutes, by means of which cores entering the ramp at on their sides will be guided into an upright or rolling position asthey move into the chute entrances; alsorby means of which the cores are prevented from jamming as would occur in a straight pas'V sageway from the platform into the chutes.

Another object of the invention isto provide an adjustable guard to force cores into a at position before reaching the entrance ramps,r and also to stop the movement of cores of a larger size than those beingused'in current operations. t

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a loader and unloader of the character mentioned in which the two series of chutes are formed in plates of uniform thickness and by means of which the entire device can be extended to accommodate as many rolls of simultaneous windings as may be desired.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following specication and reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

Figl is aY top plan view of one embodimentrof my bar loader and unloader; v

Fig.'2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a front view of the device shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, but with the platform and the front plate removed to expose the core Achute entrances;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view showing a series of rolls and spacer sleeves in position on a bar after completion the numeral 10 and comprises a stationary support,`

formed of a plurality of plates 12, whichmay be made v of a winding operation; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view showing a series of cores and spacer sleeves on a bar after being lifted from the trough in the lower rear end of the loader and unloader.

In the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts or elements in the several views, it should be understood that, while the loader and unloader is illustrated (in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) with provision for only ve cores and four spacer sleeves, to limit the repetitive showing of details, the usual working device would have provision forat least thirty or more cores and a corresponding number of spacer sleeves. n v

The loader and unloader is designated generally by of metal or other suitable material, each adjacent pair of plates having on opposite sides inclined grooves forming a series of parallel, equidistantly spaced chutes 14, rectangular in cross-section and of a size and formation` to permit a free passageway for tapevwindingY cores 16 inV a rolling condition and an Valternating series `of parallel, rectangular chutes 18 of a size and formation to permit a free passageway for'spacer sleeves 20 ina rolling condition. A g A The Achutes 14 incline toward the frontend of the vloader and unloader, merging into substantially vertical wells 22 whichare partially cut away on one side at the top to form `communication with the outlet ends of downwardly inclined ramps 24 which are curved outwardly spending to 'the diameter .of the cores 16 arerformed' in axial alignment.. VAlternate semici'rcular seats 34 are formed between the seats 32 and in axial alignment therewith to accommodate the spacer sleeves 20, which are usuallyof a slightly le'ser outer diameter than that of `thereores 16. The uchutes 18 `communicate at their lowereiidswith the seats 34 and at their upper ends with bckwardly inclined portions 36 which terminate in semicircllarisea'tsA 38 formed in upwardly projecting fingers 40 o'f a radius to accommodate Vthe outer peripheries of thespacer sleeves 20. ,"I'heplates 12 are clamped together with the grooves forming the'V chutes 14 and 18 in respective facing relation by meansof rods 42 and nuts 44, or `by other suitable means. VObviously anynumberof corresponding platesniaybe thus assembled to accommodate as many cores" n'dspac'er sleeveslat a time as may be desired.

"The vertical wells 22 may be closed in front by a vertically arranged 4frorit plate 46 `by means of screws or othersuitblemeans; Y,and the platform 28 may be at- `tachd to this plate. asfillustrated. AY vertically adjustable guard 48`ext'ends 'across -the platform' in parallel relafiori with the front edge of the loader and unloader to force any upright cores into a llat position, so that they will .be the vcorrect relation with the offset entrances 26 to the chutes 14, and also to stop'the movement of any cir'es of .alarger size than those in current use. The ends ofltheV guard are slidably mounted in slots 50 in the rail 5,2V of theplatform and are adjusted by means of screws54 engaging thebottoms of the slots. The whole reassembly of plates forming the stationary support may be mounted in a base 56.. The ramps 24 may all be formed integrally in a single plate 58, if desired. `As previously mentioned, the tape winding operation is begun by installing a pair ofrrods 60,. called bars, in a tape slitting and winding machine (not shown) one above and one below the sheet of tape material, each bar being loaded with acorresponding ,numberV of alternately arranged cores 16 and spacer sleeves 20, as shown in Fig..6. rThe cores on one bar coincide with thesleeves on the other bar, both being of the same length so thateach strip, of tape will be wound on a core either above or below the sheet of material. After a winding operation is completed each bar is removed from the winding machine together with the rolls of tape 621and the spacer sleeves assembled on the bar as shown in Fig. 5. The assembly is then placed inthe loader and unloader withthe sleeves 20 resting in the seats 38 and `therolls between `the fingers 40 as more clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. The bar is then withdrawn from the rolls and spacer `sleeves,` thereby permitting the sleeves'to roll by gravity into the seats 34 between a series of cores which will in the meantimeV have auto matically rolled by gravity into the V seats 32. The rolls of tape62 when relased from the bar will roll down the declined` tioor 64 into a .receiving depression 66. The bar is fthen inserted through the cores and sleeves in the `seats 32 and 34 `and the bar will again be loaded as shownl in Figi 6. f Y .i It will be seen from thefor'egoing description that the actionwof unloading` a bar full of rolls and spacer bars andV again loading thebarby inserting it through the automatically assembled cores and sleeves requires an extremely `limited amount of time as compared with manual loading and unloading of` the bars. A supply of cores is deposited from time to time on the platform 28 which sharply slopes toward the entrances 26. Thus theywill ikeep `the chutes A14 filled at all `times so that when aV series of cores is `removed from the seats 32 another' -series will auton'iatically.` fall intoplace. The chutesw'l canalso be lcept lilled with' spacer sleeves-if desired,4 but 'a convenientt arrangement is to use the sets of sleeves'as they are` unloaded Ufrom the bar and `fall into 'their aligned'positions. 1 Obviously various changes may bemade Vin the constructionof" r'nyimproved bar` loader and unloadeiwith-` out departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the embodiment of the invention shown and described is intended to be illustrative only and not limited to such speciiic construction.

I claim:

1. In combination with pluralities of cylindrical tape winding cores and spacer sleeves therefor, all being of substantially uniform axial length and having axial bores of substantially uniform diameter, and a tape winding bar of a suitable diameter and length for insertion through a series of axially aligned cores and sleeves, a device for loading such cores and spacer sleeves on said bar with said cores and sleeves in alternate relation and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from said bar, said device including a stationary support for substantially rectangular construction, said support having a seriesof axially aligned and alternately arranged seats for cores and spacer sleeves extending along its lower rear end and another series of axially aligned and Valternately arranged seats for spacer sleeves and spaces for cores and the rolls of tape wound thereon extending across the top of said support intermediate of its ends and in parallel relation with the series of seats in the rear end of the support, a platform attached to the upper front edge of said support, said platform sloping toward said support and having a sufficient area to receive thereon a number of cores, a series of lat` erally spaced chutes extending from said platform to thecore seats in the lower rear end Vof said support, and another series of laterally spaced chutes extending from the sleeve seats in the upper surface of the support to the corresponding sleeve seats in the lower rear end of saidsupport, the outlet end of each of said last men- VVtioned vchutes being disposed between the outlet ends of a pair of s aid hrst mentioned chutes, said chutes all being rectangular in cross-section, also declined rearwardly in the support and of suitable sizes to permit the free rolling passage therethrough of said cores and sleeves. `2. A device for loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls oftape and spacer sleeves from the bar according to claimll in which thestationary support is formed of plates of uniform thickness secured together and in which the chutes for the cores and spacer sleeves are formed by identical facing grooves in laterally opposed pairs of said plates.

3. A devicefor loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tapeand spacer sleeves from the bar according to claim l in which the front ends of the core chutes include vertical wells merging at their lower ends into said core Ychutes and include entrances into said wells, said entrances being formed in a manner to guide cores from aat position on said platform to a rolling position in said chutes. t

4. `A device for loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from the bar according 'to claim 3 in which the entrances Atothe vertical well portions of the chutes are laterally offset therefrom and provided with curved, declining ramps for guiding the cores from a ilat position on said platform to a vertical positionin said well portions.

Y 5. A device for loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from the bar according to claim 3 in which the `tops of the vertical well portionsof the core chutes are laterally sloping to provide seats for the declining guide ramps and with suicient spacebetweentheramps toV permit the passage therebetween of a core in a sliding position on the oors of theramps belowA such spaces.

,6. A device 'for loading coresrand spacer sleeves on a tape vwinding bar and subsequentlyunloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from the bar according to claim l in which the chutes for spacer sleeves include entrance portions which are declined from the sleeve seats intermediate the ends of the support and merge at their lower ends into rearwardly declinedportions of the chutes leading into the sleeve seats in the rear bottom end of the support.`

7. A device for loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from the bar according to claim 6 in which a depression is formed in the top surface of the support, the oor of said depression sloping rearwardly from the spacer sleeve seats and being, also tangential at its front end to the peripheries of the rolls of tape and with its rear end merging into a concave abutment having a radius corresponding to that of the peripheries of said rolls, so that when the bar is withdrawn from a series of rolls and spacer sleeves the rolls of tape will roll to the rear end of the depression and fall over on the door and the sleeves will roll down their corresponding chutes into the seats provided for them between the cores aligned in their seats at the lower rear end of the support.

8. A device for loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from the bar according to claim 7 and including spaced upright fingers projecting from the lloor of the depression and adapted to [it between the rolls of tape to hold them and the sleeves against lateral movement in the support when the bar is being withdrawn therefrom.

9. A device for loading cores and spacer sleeves on a tape winding bar and subsequently unloading the wound rolls of tape and spacer sleeves from the bar according to claim l and including a guide bar extending across the platform in parallel relation with the ends of the support, and means cooperative with the platform for vertically adjusting the guide bar to such heights as to limit the passage of cores thereunder to those of a certain axial length and only when in a ilat sliding position on the platform.

Parsons July 3, 1928 Johnstone June 25, 1940 

